In Incheon's Gyeyang District, a large number of red-tipped trash flies, commonly known as 'love bugs', appeared at the end of last month. Videos showing the trails filled with the bugs to the extent that there was no room for people to step and swarms flying in such a way that visibility was nearly zero became a hot topic.
Although the love bugs naturally died out earlier this month, local residents are worried, saying, "Next year will be a bigger problem." This is due to the finger-pointing between Gyeyang District and the Ministry of Environment regarding pest control responsibilities.
◇ A restaurant at the foot of Gyeyang Mountain: "Some places had sales of less than 1 million won in June"
According to the Gyeyang District Health Center on the 18th, complaints related to love bugs were first received on the 23rd of last month. The number of complaints received in one day exceeded 20, surging to 159 by the 26th. Complaints ceased after two cases were reported on the 8th of this month. Love bug adults emerge in large numbers around the beginning of the monsoon and naturally die out 2 to 3 weeks later.
On the 15th, no love bugs were seen at Gyeyang Mountain. However, local residents vividly remembered the scene. A person surnamed Lee (68) said, "Having lived here for over 40 years, I have never seen that many bugs. The love bugs covered all the way to the Gyeyang Station intersection about 500 meters away from Gyeyang Mountain." A person surnamed Kim (55) noted, "No matter how much I tried to sweep them into a dustpan, it was endless, and spraying insecticides seemed pointless."
The problem is next year. A single female love bug lays between 300 to 500 eggs in damp soil or piles of decomposing organic matter and leaves. The eggs are very small and widely dispersed in the soil, making them difficult to detect and remove. It is presumed that love bug eggs are already covering the soil of Gyeyang Mountain.
Shin Seung-joo (37), who operates a cafe in Gyesan-dong, said, "By the end of June, love bugs had covered the area to the extent that passersby were screaming. Some surrounding restaurants had sales of less than 1 million won in June," adding, "I hope the authorities act early next year for pest control."
◇ The district mayor says, "Just endure it," while the Ministry of Environment swings a 'catcher' claiming to be controlling pests
Residents expressed dissatisfaction, stating that Gyeyang District and the Ministry of Environment, responsible for pest control, are not showing proactive measures. Yoon Hwan, the mayor of Gyeyang District, said at a press conference on the 2nd regarding the love bug issue, "Shouldn't citizens also learn to endure a little inconvenience?"
At that time, Gyeyang District employees were doing pest control by shoveling love bug corpses into bags. As the controversy grew, the Ministry of Environment conducted pest control operations at Gyeyang Mountain on the 4th. Since love bugs have been appearing in large numbers across the capital region since 2022, this was the first time a central government agency directly intervened in pest control. However, there are questions regarding effectiveness as pest control began just when the love bugs were about to naturally die out.
The pest control efforts have also faced criticism for being insufficient. Blowers, insect nets, and spraying equipment were mobilized, but in a video released by the Ministry of Environment, workers were seen shaking devices resembling insect catchers. A student named Ahn (17) remarked, "I watched the pest control video, and it was funny. Will swinging something like an insect catcher be effective?"
Responding to residents' criticism that pest control was delayed and poorly executed, a Gyeyang District official stated, "It was our first experience dealing with this, so we weren't prepared," adding, "When we first responded to the complaints and arrived on site, there were already too many love bugs." He continued, "The Ministry of Environment provided late assistance by sending personnel to help Gyeyang District."
Regarding claims that measures are needed to prevent love bugs from appearing in large numbers, the official stated, "Love bugs are not disease-carrying pests, so preemptive pest control is not possible. The Ministry of Environment does not recommend chemical control using insecticides due to ecosystem destruction," noting, "The Ministry of Environment also reportedly does not know how to conduct preemptive pest control."
A Ministry of Environment official stated regarding this, "It is not the case that the love bug issue was not resolved because we didn't provide guidelines," and emphasized, "There is no clear evidence that the responsibility for love bug pest control lies with the Ministry of Environment, and it is an unpredictable natural phenomenon," adding that, "Solutions for preemptively controlling love bugs will be developed as a medium to long-term research and development project."
Residents said that measures must be established to prevent the same issue from reoccurring next year, regardless of who is responsible. A restaurant owner near Gyeyang Station commented, "The district mayor told us to 'endure it,' but can I endure it if I can't do business because of love bugs?" adding, "Next year cannot be like this year." A hiker named Park (80) stated, "We must find a way to eradicate them by any means possible."